A/N Just a reminder that Dawn's ability has been established in this story as allowing her to travel to different realities where the date is different from what it is in their reality. Just because storywise the characters have just left one reality, doesn't mean it wouldn't be days, weeks or months passing in their reality before Dawn has another adventure. The date established in the prior chapter is for the events happening in the crossover arc, which is a month prior to the home reality, where it's just after Halloween, the one year anniversary of the end of the vampires in their home reality. We started following Dawn's adventures about five months ago in the home reality. Everyone caught up? Each arc involves both a different reality and a different time, the difference in time is going to become more significant as time goes on, for one very big reason, time is a dimension all on its own and Dawn's trying to figure out how to portal within her own reality. With time being a factor in her current travels to other realities, how might time affect future travels within her own reality? Once she's able to that, of course. Especially given what kind of significance Dawn herself might have in the grand scheme of things.

A one shot that is becoming a more complex story as we continue and given I currently have no plans to stop writing it, could end up being very long.

Do let me know if you get bored with it before I do, I might be able to find a way to make it exciting again.

I've decided on Xander's power. Past Phoebe had a fire power that she wasn't allowed to keep because she misused it and Xander in canon had a flare with fire. 😁

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"Well, Buffy's back and the welcome home party was not smooth." Xander muttered to his girlfriend the day after Buffy's welcome home party fell apart due to unexpected zombies. Although, really, at this point, this being Sunnydale, was anything really unexpected? Not to mention, yet another fight with her mother, this one very public as half the class had been there.

"You look like crap." Cordelia said bluntly. "Didn't you get any sleep?"

"Double dose of nightmares last night." He answered. "Zombies and vampires vying for the privilege of being the ones to terrorize me in my sleep."

Cordelia shuddered and nodded. "Yeah, not a great welcome home party and yet so very typical of Sunnydale." She finished setting out her lunch and started eating.

Buffy herself approached the table. "This seat taken?" She asked awkwardly.

"We saved your regular seat, Buffy." Xander assured her as Willow and her boyfriend, Oz, joined them. "I suggested having a 'this seat saved for Buffy Summers' sign taped to it. Oddly enough, no one's tried to take it." He tried to joke, but it fell flat, the group was out of sync with each other and ate in awkward silence. Finally Buffy had enough.

"Look, guys, I'm sorry. Taking off was a bad idea, I get that. It's just, so much happened and I just couldn't take anymore. I never wanted to be all Chosen or anything and I never wanted to fall in love with a guy under a curse. My life sometimes happens to suck beyond the telling of it." She finished morosely.

"So does ours." Xander muttered, thinking of his parents, something he rarely spoke about to anyone. "We wanted to be there for you, Buffy. You just weren't here for us to be here for you."

"I have to see Mr. Platt as part of being let back in class."

"The guidance counselor?" Willow clarified. "Maybe it'll be easier to talk to him, since you're having trouble talking to us, I mean." Still smarting from her own argument with Buffy the night before.

"Look, Buffy -." Xander stopped for a moment and then continued. "Cordelia pointed out I was being insensitive last night. It's just, your Mom hates herself for how she reacted and I felt bad for her. I feel bad for you too and I feel helpless to help either of you. I guess we just need time to work it out. But we are glad you're back." He changed the subject. "Planning on going patrolling tonight? This summer was a lot more intense than last summer. Last year there was one vamp the entire summer and he popped his head up just as you got back to town. This summer we averaged four or five a night."

"Yeah, I noticed you were patrolling when I ran into you the night before. It's dangerous, Xander, you could have been hurt."

"For every vampire we got, people lived. A few ouchies isn't a big deal compared to that."

"Besides," Cordelia told her. "the alternative was Las Palmas and cockroaches big enough to ride, no thank you."

"Hey, Oz, could you give me a napkin?" Xander asked as his meat surprise - as in he'd be surprised if there was actual meat in it - laughingly called a sloppy joe by the lunch lady, fell apart in his hand making a mess on his tray and dripping down his hand. "Suave Xander has left the building again."

"Was he ever here?" Cordelia snarked as Xander reached for the napkin Oz silently extended to him. Only to drop it as it caught fire.

"What the Hell?"